Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds

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Babyface
Babyface on the cover of his 2005 album, Grown & Sexy.
Background information
Birth name	Kenneth Brian Edmonds
Also known as	Kenneth Edmonds
Born	April 10, 1958 (age 48)
Origin	Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Genre(s)	R&B and pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, record producer, film producer, and entrepreneur
Label(s)	Island Records
Associated acts	After 7 and Milestone
Website	babyfacemusic.com

Kenneth Brian "Babyface" Edmonds (born April 10, 1958 in Indianapolis, Indiana), is a successful American R&B and pop singer, songwriter, guitarist, keyboardist, record producer, film producer, and entrepreneur.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early career 1.2 Commercial success 2 Discography 2.1 Singles 3 Production credits 4 References

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early career

Edmonds,who is the 5th of six brothers, attended North Central High School and as a shy youth, wrote songs to express his emotions. Edmonds later played with funk superstar Bootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" while he was still a teen, and the nickname has stuck with him throughout his life. He also played in the groups Manchild (which had a 1977 hit "Especially for You" with band member Daryl Simmons), then in the light-funk and R&B group The Deele (which also included Antonio "L.A." Reid), with whom he would later form a successful partnership. In 1988, both Babyface and Reid left the group.

[edit] Commercial success

In 1989, Edmonds co-founded LaFace Records with Reid. Two of the label's first artists Toni Braxton and TLC achieved massive success. Braxton's eponymous 1993 debut album went on to sell over eight-million copies, and earned her a Grammy Award as the year's best new artist in 1994. Meanwhile, TLC's two albums on LaFace — 1992's Ooooooohhh.... On the TLC Tip and 1994's CrazySexyCool — combined to sell more than 15 million copies, and CrazySexyCool won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B album.

Edmonds is also behind some of the biggest successes in contemporary music. He wrote and produced Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" and "I'll Make Love To You", both of which established records for the longest stay at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He penned, produced and sang Madonna's 1995 7 week-#1 hit "Take A Bow" and he shared billing with Eric Clapton on the chart-topping Grammy winner "Change the World" from the Phenomenon soundtrack. Additionally, he has produced and written music for many artists including Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Shola Ama,Whitney Houston, Sisqo, Dru Hill, Céline Dion, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Williams, En Vogue, Eric Clapton, Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Japanese singer Ken Hirai, Pink, Sheena Easton, and Phil Collins among others, and he has received an amazing three consecutive Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year, in 1995–1997.

In the mid-1990s, Edmonds and his then wife, Tracey Edmonds, expanded into the business of motion pictures, setting up "Edmonds Production Company" and producing films such as Soul Food (1997) and Josie and the Pussycats (2001). They are the current executive producers of the hit BET reality series College Hill. Edmonds also worked with David Foster to compose "The Power of the Dream", the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics. Linda Thompson provided the lyrics.

In 1999, a 25-mile (40-km) stretch of Interstate 65 that runs through Indianapolis was renamed Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds Highway.

In October 2005, Edmonds and his wife, Tracey, announced that they were ending their marriage of thirteen years. They have two sons.

Babyface is participating in a charity single written and produced by Michael Jackson. It is unclear if he is participating in the single as a performer or producer. The single to be titled "I Have This Dream".

Babyface also participated as a duet partner on the FOX reality show Celebrity Duets.

Babyface has recently signed a new deal with Island Records to release his new album due 2007. ^[1]

[edit] Discography

• 1986: Lovers (R&B) #28 R&B
• 1989: Tender Lover #14 US, #1 R&B (US 2x platinum)
• 1991: A Closer Look
• 1993: For the Cool in You #16 US, #2 R&B(US 3x platinum)
• 1996: The Day #6 US, #4 R&B (US 2x platinum)
• 1997: Babyface MTV Unplugged NYC (live) #106 US, #33 R&B (US Gold)
• 1998: Christmas with Babyface #101 US, #34 R&B
• 2001: Face2Face #25 US, #8 R&B
• 2004: A Love Story
• 2005: Grown & Sexy #10 US, #3 R&B

[edit] Singles

Year	Title	Chart Positions			Album
		US	US R&B	UK Singles Chart
1986	"Lovers"	-	42	-	Lovers
1987	"I Love You Babe"	-	8	-	Lovers
1987	"If We Try"	-	65	-	Lovers
1987	"Mary Mack"	-	29	-	Lovers
1989	"Love Saw It" (duet with Karyn White)	-	1	-	Karyn White's Karyn White (original version) A Closer Look (remix version)
1989	"It's No Crime"	7	1	-	Tender Lover
1989	"Tender Lover"	14	1	86	Tender Lover
1990	"Whip Appeal"	6	2	-	Tender Lover
1990	"My Kinda Girl"	30	3	-	Tender Lover
1990	"Love Makes Things Happen" (duet with Pebbles)	13	1	-	Pebbles' Always (original version) A Closer Look (remix version)
1992	"Give U My Heart" (duet with Toni Braxton)	29	2	-	Boomerang soundtrack
1993	"For The Cool In You"	81	10	-	For The Cool In You
1993	"Never Keeping Secrets"	15	3	-	For The Cool In You
1994	"And Our Feelings"	21	8	-	For The Cool In You
1994	"Rock Bottom"	-	-	50	For The Cool In You
1994	"When Can I See You"	4	6	35	For The Cool In You
1994	"Dream Away" (with Lisa Stansfield)	-	-	-	The Pagemaster soundtrack
1995	"Someone To Love" (with Jon B)	10	7	-	Jon B's Bonafide
1996	"This Is For The Lover In You" (featuring Jody Watley, LL Cool J, Howard Hewett, and Jeffrey Daniels)	6	2	12	The Day
1997	"Every Time I Close My Eyes" (featuring Mariah Carey and Kenny G)	6	5	13	The Day
1997	"How Come How Long" (featuring Stevie Wonder)	-	-	10	The Day
1997	"Sunshine" (with Jay-Z and Foxy Brown)	-	-	25	-
1998	"Fire" (duet with Des'ree)	-	-	-	Hav' Plenty soundtrack
2000	"Reason For Breathing"	-	59	-	A Collection of His Greatest Hits
2001	"There She Goes"	31	10	-	Face 2 Face
2001	"What If"	80	28	-	Face 2 Face
2004	"The Loneliness"	-	49	-	Grown & Sexy
2005	"Sorry for the Stupid Things"	-	65	-	Grown & Sexy
2005	"Grown & Sexy"	-	51	-	Grown & Sexy

[edit] Production credits

• "Always In My Heart" – Tevin Campbell
• "Another Sad Love Song" – Toni Braxton
• "As" – George Michael and Mary J. Blige
• "Baby-Baby-Baby" – TLC
• "Betcha Never" – Vanessa Williams
• "Breathe Again" – Toni Braxton
• "Can We Talk" – Tevin Campbell
• "Change the World" – Eric Clapton
• "Count On Me" – Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans
• "Dear Lie" – TLC
• "Diggin' On You" – TLC
• "Don't Be Cruel" – Bobby Brown
• "End of the Road" – Boyz II Men
• "Every Little Step" – Bobby Brown
• "Everywhere I Go" - Katharine McPhee
• "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" – Whitney Houston
• "Fairy Tale" – Toni Braxton
• "Find Me A Man" – Toni Braxton
• "Girlfriend" – Pebbles
• "Good Enough" – Bobby Brown
• "How Could An Angel Break My Heart" – Toni Braxton
• "Humpin' Around" – Bobby Brown
• "I'll Make Love to You" – Boyz II Men
• "I'm Like A Lawyer with the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off (Me + You)" - Fall Out Boy
• "I'm Ready" – Tevin Campbell
• "I'm Your Baby Tonight" – Whitney Houston
• "I Miss You So Much" – TLC
• "I Wanna Be(Your Baby)" – Toni Braxton
• "In The Late Of Night" – Toni Braxton
• "Let It Flow" – Toni Braxton
• "Long Way From Home" – Johnny Gill
• "Most Girls" – Pink
• "My Name Is Not Susan" – Whitney Houston
• "Never Forget You" – Mariah Carey
• "On Our Own" – Bobby Brown
• "Queen of the Night" – Whitney Houston
• "Red Light Special" – TLC
• "Rock Steady" – The Whispers
• "Roni" – Bobby Brown
• "Secret Rendezvous" – Karyn White
• "So Sexual" – Sisqo
• "Something In Your Eyes" – Bell Biv Devoe
• "Superwoman" – Karyn White
• "Take a Bow" – Madonna
• "The Carpal Tunnel of Love" - Fall Out Boy
• "The Lover In Me" – Sheena Easton
• "The Power of the Dream" – Céline Dion
• "There's No Me Without You" – Toni Braxton
• "These Are The Times" – Dru Hill
• "This Time Next Year" - Shola Ama
• "Thnks fr th Mmrs" - Fall Out Boy
• "We're Not Making Love No More" – Dru Hill
• "Whatever" – En Vogue
• "When You Believe" – Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey
• "Why Should I Care" – Toni Braxton
• "You're Makin Me High" – Toni Braxton
• "You Are My Life" – Michael Jackson
• "You Are The Man" – En Vogue
• "You Can't Run" – Vanessa Williams
• "It Hurts Like Hell" - Aretha Franklin

[edit] References

1. ^ Babyface official website on Island Records. n/a. Island Records (January 20, 2007).